An attacker pulled at least nine dead, before committing suicide, in a school in the southeast city of Graz, according to the local authorities cited by the media.
Police said on Tuesday that they thought the attacker had acted alone before turning the weapon on yourself. “Several” other people were seriously injured, according to the authorities.
The mayor of Graz, Elke Kahr, described the incident as a “terrible tragedy”, reported the news agency of Austria. He added that people killed included students and at least one adult.
Officials did not immediately give information on the attacker.
The Austrian chancellor Christian Stocker, who was on the way to Graz, said that the shooting “is a national tragedy that deeply shocks our country”.
Some weapons, such as rifles and hunting rifles which must be recharged manually after each shot, can be purchased in Austria after reaching the age of 18 without a license.
The firearm merchants only have to check if there is no ban on weapons to the buyer, and the weapon is recorded in the register of central weapons.
Other weapons, such as the repetition of hunting rifles or semi-automatic firearms, are more difficult to acquire; Buyers need a firearm property card and a success of firearms.
